In the hours after the US and Israel began conducting joint strikes on Iran on February 28, air traffic along the normally busy east-west routes was forced into a narrow airspace corridor over the South Caucasus. What is a new development in the skies has been building on the ground for some time. In recent years, the region has gained attention as a key link in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. Also known as the Middle Corridor, it serves to connect Europe and China whilst bypassing Iran and Russia via Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Now, the Iran war has cast the Middle Corridor's significance into even sharper focus. By shutting the Strait of Hormuz , a route that handles roughly 20% of global oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) shipments, Iran has disrupted global energy flows. "For this region, this is an opportunity within this crisis,” says Richard Giragosian, director of the Regional Studies Center in Yerevan, Armenia.…